Where has this Lent gone? We are already approaching Holy Week and the celebration of the most solemn days of the Church’s liturgical year!

By now, I suppose most of us have asked or have been asked, “What are you giving up for Lent?” It’s a popular topic in Catholic circles, within Catholic families, among friend groups and even among priests.

On March 5, we entered another season of Lenten preparation for the Easter joy of the Lord’s resurrection. Each year, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent with a symbolic gesture of humble repentance by receiving ashes on our foreheads. It is a reminder of our own mortality.

Pope Francis has invited the entire Church to celebrate a Year of Jubilee. For all of 2025 we have been promised a unique outpouring of God’s goodness and grace, a wealth of blessings.

The theme of Jubilee Year 2025 – “Pilgrims of Hope” – summons each of us and the whole Church to renew our commitment to Jesus Christ and to one another. We are pilgrims together.

People choose Catholic education for many reasons. Some families choose it for excellence in academic instruction. Some choose it for the tight-knit community. Some choose it so their children will be taught according to a moral compass with an emphasis on virtue.

One of the central mysteries of our faith is the Incarnation, which the Church celebrates most solemnly at Christmas.

In a few short weeks, 2024 will come to an end. Our well-planned Christmas celebrations will bleed into our anticipation of a new year, which offers a new beginning. But, 2025 won’t be just any new year. This new year is a Jubilee year!

As Thanksgiving Day draws near, many of us may recall the story of that first Thanksgiving in America.

When I travel around the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, I have the joy of celebrating Mass with many of our young disciples. I love meeting these students, perhaps during a school visit or a Confirmation.

Every four years we are presented with the prospect of the “most important election of our lifetime.” Perhaps this admonition is accurate.

Archbishop Coakley was traveling abroad at the time of the latest Sooner Catholic deadline, however he authorized the use of this column by Bishop Burbridge “because of the importance of the responsibility to vote with a well-formed conscience.” Archbishop Coakley’s column will return in the next issue of Sooner Catholic.

In every Catholic diocese, the cathedral stands not merely as a building of brick and mortar, but a profound symbol of faith and communion.

Even though the global COVID-19 pandemic is a few years behind us, recalling those strange and challenging times can still stir up strong emotional responses.

When the U.S. bishops initiated the Eucharistic Revival more than two years ago, we wanted to spark a new awareness and appreciation of the great gift of the Eucharist throughout our nation.

When we celebrate the Eucharist, every element is important. The Church’s liturgy is the result of centuries of development, enabling us to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth by drawing us into Jesus’ own perfect sacrifice on the cross.

The National Eucharistic Congress

The history of salvation began the moment our first parents rebelled against God’s commandment in Eden.

In Oklahoma, summertime means heat. But, for many people summertime also is when we look forward to a much-anticipated vacation.

Parting words hold significance, especially when it might be the final exchange among friends in this lifetime.